Beauty and The Geek
by PaRaM0rE-0394
Summary: Fang is the school nerd who is in love with Max. When his sister, Angel, and her best friend, Nudge, decide to give him a makeover, is this the chance he's been waiting for to win Max's heart? FAX/AU/AH-Discontinued-
1. The Crush

**11/5/09**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, only the plot. :D (I love those smiles :D)**

**Yes, I do realize Fang is completely out of character. He will change. I just thought this was something new and really liked the idea.**

**Fang POV**

You know how in those teen movies it's always the sometimes nerdy, nobody girl who wins the heart of the popular guy? I say they can go screw themselves, because sometimes it's the nerdy GUY who's in love with the girl. I, myself, am one of them. That's right, nerdy nobody Fang is in love with Maximum Ride. She might not be the most popular person alive, but she is definitely the most beautiful, strongest (mentally AND physically), smartest, most caring girl I know. She's got these chocolate brown eyes I could just get lost in, and the most amazing dirty blonde hair. Just the sight of her makes me weak-kneed with happiness. The way her stride sprouts confidence without being overly full of herself.

The only problem is I've never have the nerve to talk to her.

I mean, I've definitely tried. But it seems every time I open my mouth to say something she turns to leave or someone else comes by to talk to her. Then again, no one really talks to me. I'm like the total cliché of a nerd. Plaid shirt, slightly greasy black hair, pocket protector, an almost unlimited knowledge on computers. The only reason my name is so cool is because my mom was nineteen when she had me and was in a rebellious stage. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom. She's not one of those drunks who beat the heck out of their kids because they regret having them. In fact, she loves kids so much, five years later she had another, my sister Angel. Again, weird name, but that's just how my mother is.

Anyway, back to the situation at hand. The thing is I can't stand not being with Max. . . ._Max_. . . . Sorry, spaced out a bit. See what she does to me? Right now we're in lunch. I, of course, am sitting alone. Nobody wants to hang with the nerd. Sigh. But I don't mind it that much. I mean, at least I get to look at Max sitting three tables down from me without having someone interrupt me. (Man, do I sound stalkerish.) I can see her eating her unusual amount of food, talking to her best friend Iggy and her half-sister Ella.

_Oh, God. She just flipped her hair._

Okay, breath. Just breath. I really do need help. I turned back to my ham sandwich, finishing just before the bell rang. I decided I'd try talking to her again. Can't be too hard, right? Just walk up to her and say 'hi'. I took a deep breath, walked up behind her, and was just about to say something. . . . when she walked away fast. She didn't even know I was there! Shocked, I just stood there, mouth hanging wide and frozen in place with disappointment.

I won't bore you with the details of the rest of my day, which mostly consist of people teasing me and me ogling Max, nor will I explain my walk home. When I got home, I just walked through the front door and to my room. Here's the thing. If you ever see my room, you might notice that it's nearly all black. It's my favorite color. I don't really know why I don't wear black more.

I flopped down on my bed, exhaling loudly. I laid there for a couple more minutes before forcing myself to stand up and do my homework. Like I said before, I won't bore you with the details. I noticed that Angel came home, and that her best friend Nudge (Nickname. Not everyone in this story has a weird name.) was with her. I sighed. They could get quite scary when together. So, you can understand my fear when there was a knock on my door and they both entered my room.

"Hey, Fang," Angel said smiling sweetly. Uh oh, you NEVER TRUST THAT SMILE! I gave her a weary look in return. I don't usually say much. It's just not who I am.

"We were talking about that girl you stalk, Max, and we thought we could help."

I opened my mouth to deny that stalking comment, but then her words sunk in. Could they really help? So instead I said, "I'm listening."

Crap! Her smile just turned evil! RUN! Unfortunately I didn't. No, I just sat there at my desk listening to their proposition, and you know what? I loved it.

**I really want to know what you think of this, but you don't have to review. I'm not one of those crazies who demand reviews in order to update. I do request that you send me ideas, seeing as I usually suck at coming up with them and I don't want to disappoint anyone who actually wants to read this. Thanks :D**


	2. THe Makeover

**11/8/09**

_**OMG! PEOPLE REVIEWED! Thank you! **_**You never know just how great it feels until it happens to you. Yes, I know it was a bit too thoughtful and vague on the actions in the first chapter, but that was just to set up the actual story. Hopefully this one is better. I've never been one for detail. Oh, and they don't have wings. That's what the ah in the summary stands for. All Human. Sorry for anyone who wanted different.**

_***I changed the amount of weight Fang could carry because a couple of you pointed out that what I had originally set was not impressive. I'm sorry, I didn't know. For one, I'm a girl, and two, I don't have any knowledge on this sort of thing. Hope it's better. :D I will probably have the next chapter up REAL soon, k?**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. I do own this plot. :D**

**(The whole thing is in Fang's POV so I don't have to keep putting it here)**

You see, the plan was to give me a makeover, woo Max into liking me, and run off into the sunset skipping merrily. No, I'm just kidding, though the makeover part was true. Apparently Nudge and Angel were these fashion experts and told me I could 'benefit greatly from their wisdom' or something like that. I don't care as long as it gets Max to like me.

Well, they wanted to get this done as fast as possible, which meant me, the über nerd who still lets his mother shop for him at fifteen, was going to the mall. Fun. It being like four o'clock, we had _plenty_ of time to do this. Thankfully, it was close enough to walk. I don't know how I would react to asking mom. Shudder. So anyway, we walked the fifteen minutes to the mall, Angel and Nudge talking animatedly about what they were going to do to me while I just hang in the back, whistling some random tune.

The sad thing is, I've been to the mall maybe twice, and those were a _long_ time ago. Remember the mother-clothes comment? Yeah. So when I walked into the mall, let's just say I was a bit overwhelmed. Lots of bustling people, high ceilings, and rows of shops are not what I'm use to.

Right away the girls started dragging me into a store playing loud music. I felt really uncomfortable, unlike Angel and Nudge who were running around, taking clothes off the racks and throwing them on me. Before I knew it I was holding a mountain of clothes and was being shoved into a stall. I just stood there for a second, completely confused and dazed, before taking a shirt off the pile. It was just a plain black t-shirt, very different than what I was use to, but decided I liked it, so I tried it on. I then grabbed a pair of dark jeans and put them on. They actually felt really comfortable.

You see, I didn't expect them to like it. I thought they would take one look at what I was wearing and send me back to change. Boy, was I wrong. When I stepped out, their mouths dropped to the floor. Then they started talking at once, saying things I never thought people would say about me, like "You look_ really_ good!" and "Who knew you were so hot!" Well, my mother says that stuff, but she doesn't really count. I admit I was curious about what I looked like, so I turned to the three-way mirror. Now, I don't usually show emotion. It's too easy for people to use your emotions against you. But when I saw myself in that mirror, I got the shock of my life, and it showed.

I looked really good. Hot even. (And yes, guys can call themselves hot.) I never thought I would be able to call myself that, and I was just wearing a black shirt and jeans! Well, besides the muscle. I've never told anyone this, but I'm very athletic. I can run incredibly fast and can bench-press one-seventy-five. Hey, I need the defense if someone decides to beat me up for no apparent reason. Anyway, the point is I've got relatively big muscles.

Max is _so_ gonna love me.

Excited by my new find, I practically ran back to my changing stall. I tried on many different outfits after that, but nothing looked quite as good as the first. Whatever we did like, though, we bought. I admit I was a bit disappointed when I had to change back into my old clothes, but I think it's better left a surprise tomorrow. Can't wait to see the shock on those kids' faces. . . .

After getting the clothes (Thankfully we didn't have to go to another story, being that we bought about a month's worth of It.), we headed off to the food court for dinner. Yeah, I know, really healthy, but apparently there's more to do. During the meal (I got Umi chicken. It's THE BEST!), the girls gave me the lowdown on what I need to get done. Hair, shoes, belt, and underwear (Yeah, I was confused about that one too.). At least I didn't have glasses, and then they'd want to get me contacts. Ugh. We finished our meal and got up to go.

I was a little weary about what they would do to my hair. Clothes can change in a snap, but hair takes months to grow. I had long hair and I really liked it. I recall mentioning my hair was a bit greasy. This is because I don't want to have my hair in my eyes all the time, so I slick it back with hair gel. It is not because I don't take showers often. I take them every day. I just figured hair gel was better than say a headband. Yeah, then I'd_ really_ get teased. But, overall, I loved my hair, and I don't want anyone ruining it.

We walked up to the front desk and made an appointment. Fifteen minute wait. Not bad. The whole time, though, Nudge and Angel wouldn't stop talking, so it was actually a relief when I was called. I walked up to the chair and sat down. There was a girl there, about 25, and had really short blonde hair with streaks of blue, purple, and pink, not to mention tight jeans and a shirt that showed her pierced belly button. She smiled warmly at me before asking me what I'd like.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Surprise me."

I honestly don't know what I'd like done to my hair. The girl looked a bit annoyed at my answer. She looked at me a moment, scrutinizing me. Finally she seemed to brighten up, as if coming up with the most brilliant idea ever. "Come with me," she said smiling. Confused I did.

She led me to another section of the salon, where apparently they washed and dried your hair. "First off, we have to get rid of that grease. I mean really, do you need that much guck?" I wasn't sure how to answer that one. I figured it was rhetorical anyways. "Sit down." She pointed to a chair. I did as she asked and closed my eyes as she started the procedure.

*__*__ (_**TIME LAPSE**_) __*__*

Wow, I'd never thought I would actually go through something like that. I always thought it was a woman thing. Apparently I was wrong. All right, maybe I'm overreacting, but the only thing I've ever gotten was a trim, so this was very different. You see, after having my hair washed (I didn't know it was _that_ bad, honestly!), I finally got to the actual cutting.

Abby (The lady with the colorful hair. Turns out she talks just about as much as Nudge.) then started to attack my hair. I swear, the by the time the first lock was cut, I was already horrified. You could clearly see it on my face. But oh no, Abby didn't stop. She just kept cutting.

By the time she finished, she had cut about two inches from my hair AND given my layers. _Layers_. I'm not the type of person to have layers. I know I'm trying to change, be all cool and stuff, but it's hard. Plus, I always thought my hair was the coolest thing about me. Guess that shows me.

My hair now came to my eyes, just grazing my ear and the bottom of my neck. The thing is, the whole time, Abby didn't let me see myself, so when she turned me around when she was done, I was about as shocked as I was in the changing room. Nudge and Angel were turning me into a regular bad boy. You know, without the attitude. Hey, I'm still a computer nerd inside.

As I walked off to pay, they saw me. And just like the clothes store, they gaped at me. I was also rewarded with an intake of breath. Don't know who, though. Then they – You know what? Just go up a bit and reread the changing room scene. It was just like that. I gave a little smirk and turned to pay. Now, you may be wondering where this seemingly unlimited amount of money has come from. Well, you can thank many summers of fixing computers. Normally I just spend it on games, but I saved some each summer in case of emergencies, which I now dub this situation. Anyway, carrying on.

Next stop was shoes. Apparently dress shoes were out of style. I didn't get that memo, though that seems to be the case a lot. We looked around, found some pretty funky shoes that should never actually be worn (that's coming from _me_), and finally decided on some cool black and dark blue sneakers. Nudge found some boots she just_ had_ to have so we got those two. Do you ever find it weird that the belt section is usually_ in_ the shoe section? I did. I mean, what do they really have in common? One's for you for your feet and one's for your waist. Oh well, they picked one of those for me too.

Wow, I never knew just how tiring shopping was. I wanted to drop by the time everything was done, though Nudge and Angel just seemed to keep going, like some weird little energizer bunnies. Well, they were ten and eleven; they were suppost to be energetic. I was incredibly relived when their list was done. Yes, we did go buy some underwear. When I asked about it, Angel simply said that fifteen year olds were not suppost to have rocket ship boxers. That shut me up, even though in the back of my head I was wondering two things. One, how did she know that? And two, what does that have to do with Max. I mean, it's not like she'd actually see them. Though, I wouldn't mind _too_ much…..

Okay, awkward. So we were heading to the glorious entrance when Angel suddenly gasped. I immediately turned my head to her, expecting something horrible to happen. I don't know what I'd do, but I'd do something. Only, the reason she gasped wasn't because someone mysteriously attacked her. No, she gasped out of pure happiness. You see, what she was looking at was a display case. And in that display case was…..

A leather jacket.

Let me ask you, do you know how weird it is to see a complete nerd (remember, I'm not wearing my new clothes) being forcefully dragged into a store by two sixth graders to buy a leather jacket? It's not something you see every day, but it was highly the case at that moment. What's more surprising is, and I still don't know how they did it, I found myself at the counter, jacket in hand, and handing over my money. Sigh. _Remember, you're doing this for Max._ Okay, that helped a lot.

The walk home was relatively uneventful. Nudge and Angel were talking animatedly again. The only difference was I was jumping at every sound I heard. Who knew this kind of thing could do that to a person, eh? Make 'em all jumpy and stuff? I certainly didn't.

When we got home, it was around seven-ish, which meant Nudge had to go home. I didn't really pay attention to the ordeal, just went straight to my room. Putting all the stuff on the floor in front of my bed, I took a deep breath. I just stood there looking at the bags for a bit, still kind of out of it. It hasn't really sunk in what's happened. I thought for a second, then decided I wanted to see the final result put together. So, I grabbed the black t-shirt, black jeans, sneakers, belt, and jacket, and put them on.

I decided that to make it more intense, I should face away from the mirror and then just see it all together. So I did. I know I've said a lot about shock and awe all day, but to see the whole thing was….. wow. There were no words to describe it. And the thing is, I still felt like me. Like I wasn't really changing anything because I had a say in everything I bought. Well, except for the jacket, but it somehow still felt right. I guess I'd just been so use to what I wore before that I didn't even question it.

_Look out, Maximum Ride. Here I come._

I glanced at the clock. 7:45. Okay, I admit it was early, but I was just really tired, what with all the sudden shopping. I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed, the last thought going through my head was the possible reaction on Max's face tomorrow. You know, they say the last thing you think about is what you dream about. I believe that theory.

**Sorry it took so long to update. When I started to write this fic, I was high off excitement and started writing the second chapter. Then it started wearing off and I didn't have the motivation to finish. Then I read all your wonderful reviews and felt the need to finish. I don't like letting **_**anyone**_** down, so even if there was only one person reading this, I would still feel the need to continue. I was actually surprised that the chapter came out so long. I can't guarantee they will all be this long, but I hope they aren't dinky little things that take two minutes to read and don't give you any satisfaction. God, I hate that. Almost as much as I hate rambling author's notes. Sorry. I hate hypocrisy. **

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I'm not going to ask you to review because I actually feel better when you**_** want**_** to review and not because I asked you. Yeah, I wonder how many other people have that opinion. Thanks for reading. :D**


	3. The First Attempt

**11/9/09**

**OMG! I was practically **_**glowing**_** after I read all of your reviews! You really know how to make a girl happy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. The plot that seems to make all of you scream (in a good way) belongs to me. :D (It feels soooo good to say that!)**

When I woke up this morning, I felt really good. That is, until I remembered what I had to do today. And queue the hyperventilating. I'm serious, I started hyperventilating. I mean, this is the day I would try to win Max's heart. Believe me, that's a hard mission. She's never been one for liking guys. In fact, the only date she's ever been on was with this guy Sam. Ugh. _Suck it up_, I told myself, _you can do this_. Taking a deep breath, I got out of bed and went over to the closet. It was previously decided I would wear the black t-shirt, black jeans, and leather jacket.

After my shower and getting dressed, I combed my hair. Yes, some guys do comb their hair. **(AN: They do. Sometimes my brother barges into my room just to use my brush.) **I slipped on my sneakers, went downstairs, and poured myself some cereal. I was glad my mom wasn't in there because I don't know how I would explain my sudden change in attire. Just my luck, she came down the stairs at my last comment. To say she was shocked was an understatement. I look a lot like her, black hair, dark brown eyes, and tan skin. It makes me wonder where Angel got her attributes, seeing as she's the complete opposite. Blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin. It might have something to do with the fact we have different fathers, not that either one of them decided to stay.

My mom slowly entered the room, giving me a weird look. "Fang?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," I answered calmly. No need to freak out.

She didn't say anything for a second, then stated, "This is new," and gestured to my clothes.

"I guess," I responded, finishing my cereal. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. It was too awkward.

"Gotta go," I mumbled as I grabbed my backpack and practically ran out the door. Letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, I made my way to school, the whole time feeling like I would throw up. I can't believe I agreed to this. What was I thinking? Oh yeah, I was thinking I would actually get Max. That thought made me feel at least a little better.

And then I reached the last corner, stopping in my tracks. Just around that bend were hundreds of kids who for years have teased and ridiculed me. I wonder what they would think. Well, I guess there's only one way to find out. I took another deep breath and rounded the corner.

I kept my head down, gripping my backpack straps like a lifeline as I walked into the building. Making my way through the throngs of people, I could hear the silence starting to spread through the crowd. Silence, then the whispering.

"I wonder who the new kid is."

"Who is he?"

"I didn't hear we got a new student."

"Wow, he's hot."

Okay, that last one surprised me. Actually, they all surprised me, but that caught me off guard. Still in the same position, I went to first class. Oh, God. Max is in this class. Sigh. I went to sit in my usual seat, front row center, but decided to change it up a bit. I went to the back, still center, and sat down next to an empty seat, though I still kept my head down.

Five minutes later, the bell rang and the teacher, Mrs. Apple (Ironic, no?), started on attendance. I sort of zoned out, starting to feel better. At least I didn't want to hurl.

"Fang Matthews," she called. My head snapped up out of reflex, and just as I was about to answer, Max came walking in, cool, calm, and collected. Just like that, all my nerves came back full force.

"Sorry I'm late. My alarm clock didn't go off," she announced. Mrs. Apple looked at her a moment, then sighed.

"Alright, I'll let it slide. But next time, double check it before you go to bed. Take a seat." And that is why I love Mrs. Apple. She's one of the most laidback people I know. She turned her attention back to the attendance list. "Fang Matthews," she repeated.

This time I didn't hesitate. I looked up at her and said a very strong, "Here." And queue more whispering.

Let me just point out, in my experience, whispering is never good. So the whole situation did not help with my self confidence, no matter if they were saying positive things. I just didn't like it.

"_That's_ Fang Matthews?"

"Isn't that that nerdy kid?"

"Wow, where has_ he_ been all my life?"

"Who the heck is Fang Matthews?"

Like I said, I've never been one for attention. I started darting my eyes all around the classroom, just trying to find someplace safe to look, when they suddenly latched on to chocolate brown eyes that I knew a little _too_ well. (Okay, maybe I should rethink the not-a-stalker thing.) I swear, time started to go slow-mo. She was walking down the aisle and looking right at me. Never in my life has she done that. My heart started beating a bazillion times a minute. Then the weirdest thing happened. She broke her gaze by looking down, and I swear I saw a bit of color on her cheeks. Okay……

Time seemed to catch up and the sudden rush of sound gave me a slight headache. I refused to let my eyes leave Max, then slightly widened as she slid into the seat next to me. And I thought my heart was going crazy before. This is the closest she's ever been to me with her actually knowing. (Yeah, definitely reaching lower-level stalkerness.) The teacher started the lesson, and I was a bit disappointed that Max was ignoring me. But really, what did I expect.

The rest of the class was mostly me trying to work up the nerve to actually say something. About a thousand different discussions flowed through my head, none of them actually being that good. One time during my thoughts, I was hit in the head by a paper ball. You see, I'm actually quite use to that, so it didn't really faze me. Then it happened again. And again. And again. The fifth time was it for me. I looked up and around, finally landing on the culprit. And let me tell you, I was surprised. To my right, on the next lab table (Did I tell you we were in biology? My bad.), was Lissa giving me one of those weird finger waves.

You're gonna find this ironic, but Lissa is actually one of those people who ridiculed me. So, you can see the turnoff. I didn't really know how to react to that situation so I did what any logical person would do. I ignored her and went back to planning. I was grateful that she left it at that.

Still lost in my thoughts, it took me a second to realize the bell rang. Oh, God. I didn't say anything yet! Max was busy putting stuff into her bag so I had a bit of time. Okay, come on. You don't have her again for two more classes. Say something cool.

"Yo." What?! That was cool?! I mean, who says yo anymore? Really.

Well, at least it seemed to work. Max suddenly sat straight up, then turned to me with one eyebrow raised. "Uh, hey?" She said as almost a question. Wait a minute…..

Max just talked to me. _Max just talked to me!_

Crap, what do I say now? Apparently nothing, seeing as she took that role. "Are you new here?" she asked. I couldn't stop the disappointment that crept over me. So she _didn't_ know I was alive.

"Ugh, no," was my lame excuse. She just shrugged it off and got up to leave the classroom. But before she left she leaned closer to me and whispered, "I like your jacket." And with that, she was gone.

Of course, getting Maximum Ride to fall in love with me was going to take a_ lot_ more than a fancy jacket. I've got my work cut out for me.

**Okay, so apparently you guys **_**really**_** want me to update. **_**I feel so friggin' special! :D**_** I hoped you liked it and that it met your standards. Sorry it wasn't as long. Thanks for reading! :D (God, I love those smiles :D)**


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